In completed oil and gas wells, it is sometimes desired to place fluids downhole, either as far from surface as possible or at a predetermined distance from surface. Such fluids, typically intended to remedy an issue with the well, typically have a higher chance of successfully remedying the issue if applied as deep as possible. At the same time, as will be appreciated by those in the field, the cheapest and most readily available access point for inserting such fluids into the well is at the wellhead. One well known technique for placing desired fluids downhole via the wellhead is by a lubricate and bleed operation. During a lubricate and bleed operation, a fluid heavier than those already contained in the well is added through the wellhead without first removing any existing fluid from the well, adding to the total fluids in the well. Over a period of time, the heavier fluid travels downhole as lighter fluid migrates up the well. The lighter fluid is then removed from the well at the wellhead until total displacement is returned to the original value. The process is repeated until the desired amount of fluid has been added to the well, requiring multiple periods of wait time while the heavier fluid travels downhole and lighter fluid migrates to the wellhead. Further, wells will sometimes be under pressure, which decreases the amount of fluid that can be introduced into the well in any given phase of the lubricate and bleed operation.
Due to the significant time inefficiencies associated with lubricate and bleed operations, what is needed in the industry is an improved method and apparatus of conducting lubricate and bleed operations that eliminates the delay associated with waiting for lighter fluids to migrate through heavier fluids placed at the wellhead.